To himself



@gutted gisten datent @frn LOUIS POSTAWKN. OF BOSTON, .-MAssACHUsETTs, ASSAIGNORATO HIMSELF AND A. J. WONDRA; OF NEW YORK CITY.

Letters Pafeizt No. $7,071, dated July 23,1867.

IMPRovBD RAILROAD sP1KB.

' lO ALL WHOM I'l MAY CONCERN:

` Be it knownthiit I, LOUIS PS'EAWKA, ofthe city of Boston, in the county: of Suffolk, aud State of Massa-v chusetts, have inventeda new Improvement in Railroad Spikes; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is u. full, clear, and exact description thereof, which' will enable' others skilled in the-'art to make :1nd use the same, refereneebeing had to'tlie accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification.

This invention consists in Constructing a spike with its upper half square or of quadriluteral for'n, and its lowerhalf rounded andsplit longitudinally, from its point. upward to said'square part, the split' or slitted portions being bevelled upon their inner edges or sides, and when driven into the wood separate or 'divergein a line coincident with the axis of thespike.A The upper square portion of the spike being made, larger than the hole forted toit the rounded lower portion, will more e`ectually bind and retain the spike inl position. In `the accompanying drawingv A l Figpre 1 is o s ide view of my inventionubefore beingdriven into...the ,tie'or sleeper. Figures 2 and?, side views-vof thesalne, shown driven into thetie or sleeper. S- imilar letters of reference indicate'. like parts. I i represents the head ofthe spike, which; may be constructed in the usual manner, and B is the body or Hin portion, the upper'porti'on a ofwhich is of square'or quadrilateral form, the lower port bhavingits corners rounded, as shown atc. The part b extends upward not quite one-half thelength of the body or niain portion 'Rand saigl part bis slittedvits whole length, so as to form the prongs d d of equal thioknessy'the innersides of" 'said prongsat their lower ends being bevelled, as shown at e e in figs.'1 and 3. In usingl this 'spiken hole is4 bored into the tie or sleeper the size of the round portion of the spike,equal indepth to the length ofthe square .portion a,`the'bottom edge ot the hole forming shoulders-upon which the lowtelr'bevelled inner sides e e ot' tue v prongs dd'rest, and when. driven into, the unbored portion of the wood, the said shoulders divert, by their resistance, the prongs ofthe spikefcausing them to diverge or separate in aline e'oincidentwith the axis ofthe spike, as shown in gfLand form thereby 'an effectual clinch. It is evident that the` square portion of the spike being driven into the iiole of -thesame diameter as, the round portion of 'the spike will bind and rmly secure it in the wood. The bevelledjnner sid'es e e, at the lower ends of the prongs d d, ,perform an important I functionjiias they cause the prongs d to spread, as under the-force of the-blows given the spike they commence to 4enter the unbored portion of the tie or sleeper, I v This improvement will not augment materially the cost ofthe manufacturefthe spike," while it will effect- 'f'naly prevent the oasu'al withdrawal of the same. i i l Having thus described my invention, what Ilclaim as new, and d esire to secure by Letters Patent, isf' 'lfhe spike B, its Vupper part square, and its lower round part b split longitudinal-ly, forming prongs d d, bevellednpon their in'ner sides, and separating when driven into the wood in' a plane coincident with the axis of-' said spike es herein shown and described.

The abovespeciiioation of my invention signed by me this 23d dayof November, 1866.l

' LOUIS POSTAWKA. 

